Royal Ascot has come and gone for the year, with the perennially popular meeting having once again provided its share of star performances.
From star stayer Kyprios and the charismatic Auguste Rodin, to exciting two-year-olds Bedtime Story and Fairy Godmother, a number of horses put up outstanding performances at Ascot last week.
But which stallions and mares stole the show at the 2024 Royal meeting?
Shamardal
Sharmardal
The presence of the sorely missed Shamardal was well and truly felt at this year’s Royal Ascot meeting. Shamardal is the sire of Friday’s impressive Gr1 Commonwealth Cup winner Inisherin, but his sons and grandsons also made their mark in 2024.
When Inisherin, a member of his sire’s last crop, won the Commonwealth Cup, he became the 28th Gr1 winner for Shamardal, who tasted success at Royal Ascot as a racehorse when victorious in the 2005 Gr1 St James’s Palace Stakes (a race won also by Shamardal’s sire Giant’s Causeway).
Shamardal’s sons Blue Point and Lope De Vega also enjoyed success at Royal Ascot last week. Blue Point is a three time Gr1 winner at Royal Ascot, sire of Tuesday’s Gr1 St James’s Palace Stakes winner Rosallion. Aother Gr1 winning colt from Blue Point’s first crop, Big Evs, ran a creditable third in Tuesday’s Gr1 King Charles III Stakes.
His paternal half-brother Lope De Vega, also sire of this year’s French classic winners Rouhiya and Look De Vega, is the sire of Thursday’s King George V Stakes winner Going The Distance.
Lope De Vega’s sire sons Belardo and Phoenix Of Spain were also responsible for winners at Royal Ascot, with Belardo sire of Copper Horse Handicap winner Belloccio, and Phoenix Of Spain sire of Saturday’s Gr3 Jersey Stakes winner Haatem.
Galileo
The iconic Galileo – one of the greatest of all time (Pic – Supplied)
The legendary late stallion enjoyed success as a sire, sire of sires, and broodmare sire last week.
Galileo’s star staying son Kyprios claimed his second win in the Gr1 Gold Cup. Galileo is also responsible for Wednesday’s Gr2 Queen Vase winner Illinois, as well as Saturday’s Queen Alexandra Stakes winner Uxmal. Sons of Galileo, Illinois and Highbury, ran 1-2 in the Queen’s Vase, while Galileo’s triple Gr1 winning daughter Rhododendron (a full-sister to the South African based sire Flying The Flag) is the dam of Wednesday’s Gr1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes winner Auguste Rodin.
Galileo sire sons also enjoyed notable success at Royal Ascot, with Australia, Churchill, Frankel, Gleneagles, New Approach and Teofilo all coming up with at least one winner.
New Approach enjoyed particular success – his son Isle Of Jura won the Gr2 Hardwicke Stakes, while New Approach also ranks as the broodmare sire of Gr1 St James’s Palace Stakes winner Rosallion. His paternal half-brother Teofilo is sire of Friday’s Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes winner Crystal Black and damsire of Inisherin.
Dark Angel
This year’s Royal Ascot meeting was a memorable one for Dark Angel, with the Gr1 Middle Park Stakes winner sire of two Group One winners.
Charyn became his sire’s 17th Gr1 winner when he won Tuesday’s Gr1 Queen Anne Stakes, and Dark Angel’s eight-year-old son Khaadem provided his sire with a Gr1 double when he won Saturday’s Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes. It was a second year in a row that Khaadem had won the race, with the gelding scoring an 80-1 shock last year.
Dark Angel is also sire of dual Gr1 Nunthorpe Stakes winner Mecca’s Angel -whose daughter Bedtime Story (Frankel) romped to a nine and a half length win in Saturday’s Listec Chesham Stakes.
Reem Three
Reem Three (Mark Of Esteem) is shaping up to be a blue hen mare of modern times, and her descendants made a big impression at Royal Ascot this year.
Dam of 2023 33-1 Gr1 Queen Anne Stakes winner Triple Time (Frankel), Reem Three won three times and finished second in the then Listed Hoppings Stakes (a race also won by South African champion Smart Call).
At stud she has truly excelled. She is also dam of a further six black type horses. Her Gr1 Prix Jean Romanet winning daughter Ajman Princess (Teofilo) is the dam of 2024 Gr1 Commonwealth Cup winner Inisherin with another daughter Rosaline dam of last week’s Gr1 St James’s Palace Stakes winner Rosallion.
Kind
Another mare whose legacy looks set to be felt at Royal Ascot for years to come is the late Kind (Danehill).
Kind’s superstar son Frankel (winner of both the Gr1 St James’s Palace Stakes and Gr1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot) provided winners at Ascot this week in the form of Bedtime Story (Listed Chesham Stakes) and Wild Tiger (Royal Hunt Cup).
